Tardigrades are amazing creatures that can withstand the most extreme conditions on Earth, as well as the vacuum of space! This unique and charismatic animal has the ability to survive in a variety of situations. In today's program, Exploratorium scientist Karen Kalumuck will continue our programming about life in extreme environments as it relates to the search for 'habitability' on Mars.

In today's program, Exploratorium scientists Paul Doherty and Karen Kalumuck will look at examples of life in extreme environments on Earth. As Mars is an extreme environment, the question remains-could it have supported any form of microbial life?

Chris McKay, Planetary Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, has traveled the world seeking Mars-like environments. In the Dry Valleys of Antarctica—his favorite Mars analog on Earth—Dr. McKay discovered a kind of algae living inside rocks porous to light and water. He’ll show us some of these rocks and talk about the physical conditions required for life.

Jonathan Trent, Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center studies "thermophiles," heat-loving microbes inhabiting places once thought too hostile for life, but analogous to environments that might be found on other planets. He discovered that some of these microbes make a protein that appears to stabilize their cell membranes (and may have applications for nanotechnology).

Nathalie Cabrol, Planetary Scientist, Principal Investigator at NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute, looks for Mars analogs in extreme environments on Earth. She found one at the world’s highest lake at Chile’s Licancabur volcano, site of a unique analog to ancient Martian lakes. We chat with Dr. Cabrol as she investigates the life forms at Licancabur.

Join the Origins team as they travel to Antarctica. We sent Mary, Noel, Paul, and Julie to explore scientific wonders from McMurdo to the Pole. Learn all about the extreme science being conducted at the South Pole in a daily dispatch from Terra Australis Incognita!

Join the Origins team as they travel to Antarctica. We sent Mary, Noel, Paul, and Julie to explore scientific wonders from McMurdo to the Pole. Learn all about the extreme science being conducted at the South Pole in a daily dispatch from Terra Australis Incognita!

Join the Origins team as they travel to Antarctica. We sent Mary, Noel, Paul, and Julie to explore scientific wonders from McMurdo to the Pole. Learn all about the extreme science being conducted at the South Pole in a daily dispatch from Terra Australis Incognita!

Join the Origins team as they travel to Antarctica. We sent Mary, Noel, Paul, and Julie to explore scientific wonders from McMurdo to the Pole. Learn all about the extreme science being conducted at the South Pole in a daily dispatch from Terra Australis Incognita!

Webcasts made possible through
the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Jim Clark
Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation,.and the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).